The misunderstood asthma of Theodore Roosevelt
Carlos Camargo and Tweed Roosevelt examine misconceptions about Theodore Roosevelt’s childhood struggle with asthma. Camargo and Roosevelt find that Theodore Roosevelt’s asthma was not psychosomatic, and they counter the assertions made by biographer David G. McCullough that Theodore Roosevelt used asthma attacks as a way to avoid church. Camargo and Roosevelt also contend that Theodore Roosevelt’s initiation of a vigorous exercise program did not “cure” his asthma, but they note that Roosevelt believed it did. The authors recognize that Roosevelt’s belief that he had overcome his asthma by pursuing a strenuous life was beneficial to him and important to his worldview.
Six photographs of Theodore Roosevelt, two of the authors, two tables, and three illustrations populate the article.